Looking For Richard

One can only imagine the dismay of the studio executives excited to distribute Al Pacino's first film as a director, hoping for another Godfather or Scarface, but instead getting this documentary about his passion for Shakespeare. With a little help from his friends (including Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Aidan Quinn and an out-of-her-league Winona Ryder), Pacino stages scenes from Richard III, while such esteemed personages as Vanessa Redgrave, John Gielgud, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Kline and James Earl Jones offer insightful commentary and share their experiences with the Bard. Kline says it best: "This is fun." Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)